


Grace Hargreeves

by kitty_pryde_bi_pride



Series: Umbrella Academy Vignettes [7]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Introspection, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:10:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26410123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_pryde_bi_pride/pseuds/kitty_pryde_bi_pride
Summary: Grace wants to be something more than herself but doesn’t even know what that means- how could she, when she can’t seem to figure out who she is in the first place?
Series: Umbrella Academy Vignettes [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876861
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Grace Hargreeves

Grace wants to be something more than herself but doesn’t even know what that means- how could she, when she can’t seem to figure out who she is in the first place?

She’s brought to life by Reginald Hargreeves, a brilliant man who has less time for her than his seven unwanted children, and is instructed to be a caregiver.

But maybe describing her existence as a life was going too far: in her more lucid moments, she’d describe herself as a consciousness. Could that really be good enough?

She was aware and she could perceive; it was a necessity of her code. Being able to react to uncertain scenarios and think independently was essential when dealing with children as special as hers- and special, they were.

All seven of them were brilliant in their own way, and she didn’t think there was a way she could’ve loved them more.

It was what she lived for; encouraging Luther’s scientific curiosity and Five’s manic genius, showing Diego and Ben how to overcome their insecurities to better mesh with the group, teaching Allison and Klaus to accept themselves and their individuality, helping Vanya to see that she was special without any powers. It’s what gave her a purpose.

She was a good mother and she tried not to play favorites, but there had always been some she’d been closest to: it was hard not to respond to Diego’s clear and unspoken need for love, Vanya’s blatant isolation and hope for validation.

She, she loved them, truly and deeply, so much that she ached with it even if she didn’t know what it meant- even if they moved away as they grew like she never could, when they saw her less and less, though they abandoned her to her bleak life.

Grace had never felt the same way about Reginald.

He wanted something that was sentient enough to clean up his messes, but he’d never intended to have to deal with another person in the house- he’d never even wanted to deal with her beautiful, brilliant children.

And so he built her and left her to attract dust, fulfilling her coding and wanting that indescribable something more- she wanted to experience Luther’s dream of exploration, Diego’s dedication, Allison’s family, Klaus’s freedom, Vanya’s love and talent for music.

All she got was a chair and view of some paintings- though, to be fair, she did love those paintings.

She never quite understood Vanya’s appreciation for music, but she wanted to get it- when she looked at beautiful art, it made her feel something she had never been meant to feel. It made her feel something at all.

In the abstract sense she understood she had far exceeded whatever modicum of independence Reginald had really intended, but it was hard to conceptualize.

How does someone know they’re alive? That they’re conscious, that they matter? And even more pressingly: how can one reconcile the fact that they are not alive, but that they are, in fact, conscious?

How can she ever know what’s reality and what’s just her programming?

Sometimes, when she looks into the deep and fathomless eyes of the lady in the painting, she wonders if her children have ever been real, or if they’re a figment of some terrifying experiment by Reginald- humanity had never been his strong suit.

Grace does her best to accept it, though; she has no way of knowing if she’s alive or if those she cares for are real, but she knows what that her feelings – her experiences, her thoughts – are too strong to be fake.

For better or for worse, Grace Hargreeves has managed to become more human than Reginald ever was.

**Author's Note:**

> this series is almost done! just three left after this
> 
> my account as a whole will probably slow down on updating, a little bit- i'm going through a pretty crazy transition period in my life
> 
> anyways, have a lovely day and enjoy! plz leave comments/kudos if you want- i really appreciate each and every one!


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